w-^a>x c^^^^^^^*^^'^'^^^^ THE ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION OR MYSTIC CHRISTIANITY AN ELEMENTARY TREATISE UPON MAN'S PAST EVOLUTION, PRESENT CONSTITU- TION AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT BY MAX HEINDEL Its Message and Mission. A SANE MIND. A SOFT HEART. A SOUND BODY. SEVENTH EDITION Twenty -first Tlwusand PRICE, TWO DOLLARS, POSTFREE INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS Rflflirrurtan iF 1 1 1 a m b Ij tp Haunt Crrlraia OCEANSIDK. CALIFORNIA LONDON: L. N. Fowler, Imperlal Arcade LuDGATE Circus Copyright 1920 BY MRS. MAX HEINDEL All rights including that of translation reserved. Permission to copy or translate will be readily given upon application. FELLOWSHIP PRESS MT. ECCLESLA, OCEAN SIDE, CALIF. (ilvteh or Cljrist No man loves God who hates his kind, Who tramples on his brother's heart and soul; Who seeks to shackle, cloud, or fog the mind By fears of hell has not perceived our goal. God-sent are all religions blest ; And Christ, the Way, the Truth, the Life, To give the heavy-laden rest And peace from sorrow, sin, and strife. Behold the Universal Spirit came To all the churches, not to one alone; On Pentecostal morn a tongue of flame Round each apostle as a halo shone. Since then, as vultures ravenous with greed, We oft have battled for an empty name. And sought by dogma, edict, creed. To send our brothers to the flame. Is Christ then twain? Was Cephas. Paul. To save the world, nailed to the tree? Then why divisions here at all? Christ's love enfolds both you and me. His pure sweet love is not confined By creeds which segregate and raise a wa,ll. His love enfolds, embraces human-kind, No matter what ourselves or Him we call. Then why not take Him at His word? Why hold to creeds which tear apart? But one thing matters, be it heard. That brother-love fill every heart. There's but one thing the world has need to know, . There 's but one balm for all our human woe ; There's but one way that leads to heaven above — That way is human sympathy and love. Max Heindel. A WOED TO THE WISE. The founder of the Christian Keligiun stated an occult maxim when He said : "Whosoever shall not receive the " kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein" (Mark x: 15). All occultists recognize the far-reaching importance of this teaching of Christ, and endeavor to "live" it day by day. When a new philosophy is presented to the world it is met in different ways by different people. One person will grasp with avidity any new philosophical effort in an endeavor to ascertain how far it sujiports Jiis own ideas. To such an one the philosophy itself is of minor importance. Its prime value will be its vindication of HIS ideas. If the work comes up to expectation in that respect, he will enthusiastically adopt it and cling to it with a most unreasoning partisanship; if not, he will prob- ably lay the book down in disgust and disaj)pointnient, feeling as if the author had done him an injury. Another adopts an attitude of skepticism as soon as he discovers that it contains something which he has not previously read, heard, or originated in his own thought. He would probably resent as extremely unjustified the accusation that his mental attitude is the acme of self- satisfaction and intolerance ; such is nevert'ieless the case ; and thus he shuts his mind to any truth which may possibly be hidden in that which lie off-hand rejects. Both these classes stand in their own light. "Set'* ideaa render them impervious to rays of truth. "A little child" 5 6 A WORD TO THE WISE is the very opposite of its elders in that respect. It is not imbued with an overwhelming sense of superior knowledge, nor does it feel comj)elled to look wise or to hide its nescience of any subject by a smile or a sneer. It is frankly ignorant, unfettered by preconceived oi)inions and therefore entiiwnfJi/ teachable. It takes everything with that beauti- ful attitude of trust which we have designated "child-like faith," wherein there is not the shadow of a doubt. There the child holds the teaching it receives until proven or disproven. In all occult schools the pupil is first taught to forget all else when a new teaching is being given, to allow neither preference nor prejudice to govern, but to keep the mind in a state of calm, dignified waiting. As skepticism will blind us to truth in the most effective manner, so this calm, trustful attitude of the mind will allow the intuition, or "teaching from within." to become aware of the truth con- tained in the proposition. That is the only way to culti- vate an absolutely certain perception of truth. The pupil is not required to believe off-hand that a given object which he has observed to be white, is really black, when such a statement is made to him ; but he must cultivate an attitude of mind which "believeth all things" as possible. That will allow him to put by for the time being even what are generally considered "established facts," and investigate if perchance tjiere be another viewpoint hitherto unobserved by him whence the object referred to would appear black. Indeed, he would not allow himself to look upon anything as "an established fact," for he realizes thoroughly the importance of keeping his mind in the fluidal state of adaptability which charac- terizes the little child. He realizes in every fibre of his bping that "now we see through a glass, darkly." and A WORD TO THE WISE 7 Ajax-like he is ever on the alert, yearning for "Light, more Light." The enormous advantage of such an attitude of mind when investigating any given subject, oljject or idea must be apparent. Statements which appear positively and unequivocally contradictory, which have caused an immense amount of feeling among the advocates of opposite sides, may nevertheless be capable of perfect reconciliation, as shown in one such instance mentioned in the present work. The bond of concord i.f only discovered hi/ flic nprn mind. however and though the present work may be found to differ from others, the W'riter would bespeak an impartial hearing as the basis of subsequent judgment. If the book is "weighed and found wanting," the writer will have no complaint. He only fears a hasty judgment based upon lack of knowledge of the system he advocates — a hearing wherein the judgment is "wanting" in consequence of having been denied an impartial "weighing." He would further submit, that the only opinion worthy of the one who expresses it must be based upon Tcnoudedge. As a further reason for care in judgment we suggest that to many it is exceedingly difficult to retract a hastily expressed opinion. Therefore it is urged that the reader withhold all expressions of either praise or blame until study of the work has reasonably satisfied him of \\.s merit or demerit. The Rosicrueian Cosmo-conception is not dogmatic, neither does it apix>al to any other authnritv than the reason of the student. Tt is not controversial, but is sent forth in the hope that it may help to clear some of the difficulties which have lieset the minds of students of the deeper philosophies in the past. Tn order to avoid serious misunderstanding, it should be firmly impressed upon the 8 A WOKI) TO THE WISE mind of the student, liowover, that there is no infallible rovelation of this complicated subject, which includes everything under the sun and above it also. An infallible exposition would predicate omniscience upon the part of the writer, and even the Elder Brothers tell us that they are sometimes at fault in their judgment, so a book which shall say the last word on the World- Mystery is out of the question, and the writer of the present work does not pretend to give aught but the most ele- mentary teachings of the Rosicrucians. The Rosicrucian Brotherhood has the most far-reaching, the most logical conception of the World-Mystery of which the writer has gained any knowledge during the many years he has devoted exclusively to the study of this subject. So far as he has been able to investigate, their teachings have been found in accordance with facts as he knows them. Yet he is convinced that the Eosicrusian Cosmo-conception is far from being the last word on the subject ; that as we advance greater vistas of truth will o])en to us and make clear many things which we now "see through a glass, darkly." At the same time he firmly be- lieves that all other philosophies of the future will follow the same main lines, for they appear to be absolutely true. In view of the foregoing it will Ix? plain that this book is not considered by the writer as the Alpha and Omega, the ultimate of occult knowledge, and even though it is entitled "The Rosicrucian Cosmo-conception," the writer desires to strongly emphasize that it is not to be under- stood as a "faith once for all delivered" to the Rosicrucians by the founder of the Order or by any other individual. It is emphatically stated that this vorl- embodies: only the ivriter's understanding of the Eosirrucinn teachings con- cerning the World-Mystery, strengthened by his personal A WORD TO THE WISE y investigations of the inner Worlds, the ante-natal and post-mortem states of man, etc. The responsibility up- on one who wittingly or unwittingly leads others astray is clearly realized by the writer, and he wishes to guard as far as possible against that contingency, and also to guard others against going wrong inadvertently. What is said in this work is to be accepted or reject- ed by the reader according to his own discretion. All care has be^n used in trying to make plain the teach- ing; great pains have been taken to put it into words that shall be easily understood. . For that reason only one term has been used throughout to convey each idea. The same word will have the same meaning wherever used. When any word descriptive of an idea is first used, the clearest definition possible to the writer is given. None but English terms and the simplest lan- guage have been used. The writer has tried to give as exact and definite descriptions of the subject under con- sideration a^ possible; to eliminate all ambiguity and to make everything clear. How far he has succeedeu must be left to the student to judge; but having used every possible means to convey the teaching, he feels obliged to guard also against the possibility of this work being taken as a verbatim statement of the Rosicrucian teachings. Neglect of this precaution might give undue weight to this work in the minds of some students. That would not be fair to the Brotherhood nor to the reader. It would tend to throw the responsibility upon the Brotherhood for the mistakes which must occur in this as in all other human works. Hence the above warning. 10 A WORD TO THE WISE During the four years which have elapsed since the foregoing ])ai-agraphs wore written, the writer has con- tinued his investigations of the invisibh' worlds, and experienced the expansion of consciousness relative to these realms of nature which comes by practice of the precepts taught in the Western Mystery School. Others also who have followed the method of soul-unfoldment herein described as particularly suited to the Western peoples, have likewise been enabled to verify for them- selves many things here taught. Thus the writer's under- standing of what was given by the Elder Brothers has received some corroboration and seems to have been substantially cori-ect. therefore he feels it a duty to state this for the encouragement of those who are still unable to see for themselves. • If we had said that the vital body is built of pmm.s instead of points, it would have been better, for it is by refi-action through these minute prisms that the color- less solar fluid changes to a rosy hue as obsei"\'ed by other wi'iters beside the author. Other new and important discoveries have also been Fiiade; for instance, we know now that the Silver Cord is grown anew in each life, that one part sprouts from the seed atom of the desire body in the great vortex of the liver, that the other part grows out of the seed atom of the dense body in the heart, that both parts meet in the seed atom of the vital body in the solar plexus, and that this union of the higher and lower vehicles causes the (juickening. Fui'ther development of the cord be- tween the heart and solar plexus during the first seven years has an important bearing on the mj'stery of child- life, likewise its fuller growth from the liver to the solar plexus, which takes place during the second septe- nai-y period, is a contributory cause of adolescence. Completion of the Silver Cord marks the end of child- life, and fi-om that time the solar cncrgj' which enters through the spleen and is tinted by refraction through the prismatic seed atom of the vital body located in the. solar plexus, commences to give a distinctive and indi- vidual coloring to the aura which we observe in adults. LIST OF CONTENTS. PART I. Man's Present Constitution and Method of Development. Frontispiece, Diagram 1(3, The Lord's Prayer. A Word to the Wise 5 Tiie Four Kingdoms, diagram 16 Introduet ion 17 Chapter I. Tiie Visible and Invisible Worlds 24 Chemical Region of the Physical World 29 Etheric Region of the Physical World :^4 The Desire World ' 38 The Worl.l of Thought 48 Diagram 1. The Material World a Reverse Reflection of the Spiritual Worlds 52 Diagram 2. The Seven Worlds 54 Chapter TI. The Four Kingdoms 56 Diagram 3. The Vehicles of the Four Kingdoms 73 Diagram 4. The Consciousness of the Four Kingdoms. . 74 Chapter III. Man and the Method of Evolution. .Activities of Life; Memory antl Soul-growth 87 The Constitution of the Seven-fold Man 88 Diagram 5. The Three-fold Spirit, the Three-fold Body and the Three-fold Soul 95 Death and Purgatory 96 Diagram .'> ' •'.. The Silver Cord 98 The Borderland 112 The First Heaven 1 1 :'. The Second Heaven 121 The Third Heaven 129 Prejiarations fiu" Rebirth 133 Birth of the Dense Body 139 Birth of the Vital Bo.ly and Crowth 141 Birth of the Desire Body and Puberty 142 Birth of the Mind and Majority ". 142 The Blood; the Vehicle of the Ego 143 A Life Cycle (diagram) 146 Chapter IV. Rebirth and the Law of Consequence 147 Wine as a Factor in Evolution 165 A Remarkable Story 172 11 12 CONTENTS. PART II. COSMOGENESIS AND AXTHROPOQENESIS. Chapter Y. The Relation of Man to God 177 Diagram 6. The Supremo Roing, the CoHmic Planes and God 178 Chapter YT. The Si-heme of Evolution. The Bojjiiining 182 The Seven Worlds 186 The Seven Periods 188 Diagram 7. The Saturn Period 193 Chapter YIT. The Path of Evolution 194 Revolutions and ("osmic Nights 195 Diagram 8. The Seven WorMs. Seven Globes and Seven Periods 197 Chapter YTIT. The Work of Evolution. Ariadnes Thread 201 The Saturn Period 204 Recapitulation 208 The Sun Period 209 The Moon Period 213 Diagram 9. The Twelve Creative Hierarchies 221 Chapter TX. Stragglers and Newcomers 223 ("lasses of Beings at the Beginning of the Moon Period 226 Diagram 10. Classes at the Beginning of Earth Period 230 Chapter X. The Earth Period 233 Saturn Revolution of the Earth Period 236 Sun Revolution of the Earth Period 240 Moon Revolution of the Earth Period 242 Rest Periods Between Revolutions 243 The Fourth Revolution of the Earth Period 245 Chapter XT. Genesis and Evolution of Our Solar Svstem. Chaos ' 246 The Birth of the Planets 252 Diagram. Vibrations 254 Diagram 12. Man's Past, Present and Future Form. . 257 Chapter XII. Evolution on the Earth. The Polarian Einieh 261 The Hyperborean Kpuch 262 The Moon ; the Kighth Sphere 264 The Lemurian Epoch 265 CONTENTS. * 13 Birth of the Individual 266 Separation of the Sexes 267 Influence of Mars 268 The Races and Their Leaders 270 Influence of Mercury 273 The Lcmurian Race 275 The Fall of Man 282 The Lucifer Spirits 286 The Atlantean Epoch ^ 291- The Aryan Epoch ' 304 The Sixteen Paths to Destruction 306 Chapter XIII. Back to the Bible 308 Chapter XIV. Occult Analysis of Genesis. Limitations of the Bible 317 In the Beginning 321 The Nebular Theory 322 The Creative Hierarchies 32.5 The Saturn Period 327 The Sun Period, the Moon Period 328 The Earth Period 329 Jehovah and His Mission 333 Involution, Evolution and Epigenesis 336 A Living Soul ? 344 Adanr.s Rib 346 Guardian Angels 347 Mixing Blood in Marriage 352 The Fall of Man 360 Diagram 13. The Beginning and End of Sex 364 PART in. Man's Future Development and Ixitiatiox. Diagram. The Seven Davs of Creation 366 The Evolution of Religion 367 Jesus and Christ -Jesus 374 Diagram 14. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit 37" Not Peace but a Sword 383 The Star of Bethlehem 3S,S The Heart an Anomaly 393 The Mystery of Golgotha 400 The Cleansing Blood 406 Chapter XV. Christ and His Mission. Diagram.* "As Above, so Below" 410 Chapter XVI. Future Development and Initiation. The Spven Days of Creation 411 Diagram 15. The Syinl)olism of the (aduces 413 Radiates, Mollusks, Articulates and Vertebrates 416 Spirals within Spirals... 420 14 ' CONTENTS. Alcheniv and Soulgrowth 421 The Creative Word 425 Chapter XVII. The Method of Acquiring First-Hand Knowledge. The First Stops 430 Western Methods for Western People 437 The Science of Nutrition 441 Table of Food- Values 450 The Law of Assimilation 451 Live and Let Live 460 The Lord 's Prayer 462 The Vow of Celibacy 467 The Pituitary Body and the Pineal Gland 473 Diagram 17. Path of the Unused Sex Currents 475 Esoteric Training 477 How the Inner Vehicle is Built 480 Concentration 486 Meditation 489 Observation 492 Discrimination 493 Contemplation 494 Adoration 495 Chapter XVIII. The Constitution of the Earth and Volcanic Eruptions 498 The Number of the Beast 499 Diagram 18. The Constitution of the Earth 509 Chapter XIX. Christian Bosenkreuz and the Order of Rosi- crucians 515 Initiation 524 The Rosicrucian Fellowship 530 Kays from the Rose Cross 533 Symbolism of Rose Cross 534 Index 539 The Healing Power 599 PART I Man's Present Constitution and Method of Development INTEODUCTIOK THE Western world is undoubtedly the vanguard of the human race, and, for reasons given in the fol- lowiDg pages, it is held by the Eosicrucian that neither Judaism nor "popular Christianity," but true Esoteric Christianity is to be its world-religion. Buddha, great, grand and sublime, may be the "Light of Asia," but Christ will yet be acknowledged the "Light of the World/' As the sun outshines the brightest star in the heavens, dis])els every vestige of darkness and gives life and light to all Ixiings, so, in a not too distant future, will the true religion of Christ supersede and obliterate all other religions, to the eternal benefit of mankind. In our civilization the chasm that stretches between mind and heart yawns deep and wide and, as the mind flies on from discovery to discovery in the realms of science, the gulf becomes ever deeper and wider and the heart is left further and further ])eliind. The mind loudly demands and will be satisfied with nothing less than a materially demonstrable explanation of man and his fellow-creatures that make up the plienomenal world. The heart feels in- stinctively that there is somofhing greater, and it yearns for that which it feels is a higher truth than can be grasped by the mind alone. The human soul would fain soar upon ethereal pinions of intuition ; would fain lave in the eternal fount of spiritual light and love; but modern scientific views have shorn its wings and it sits fettered 17 18 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION and mute, unsatisfied longings gnawing at its tendrils as tlie vulture at Prometheus' liver. Is this necessary? Is there no eoiniuon ground iijmn which head and heart may meet, each assisting the other, each by the help of the other becoming more efToctive in the search for universiil truth, and each receiving etjual satisfaction ? As surely as the pre-existing light created the eye whereby the light is seen; as surely as the primordial desire for growth created the digestive and assimilative system for the attainment of that end ; as surely as thought existed before the brain and built and still is building the brain for its expression; as surely as the mind is now forging ahead and wringing her secrets from nature by the very force of its audacity, just so surely will the heart find a way to burst its bonds and gratify its longings. At present it is shackled by the dominant brain. Some day it will gather strength to burst its prison bars and become a power greater than the mind. It is equally certain that there can be no contradiction in nature, therefore the heart and the mind must be capa- ble of uniting. To indicate this common ground is pre- cisely the purpose of this book. To show where and bow the mind, helped by the intuition of the heart, can probe more deeply into the mysteries of being than either could do alone; where the heart, by union with the mind, can he kept from going astray; \rliere each can have full scope for action, neither doing violence to the other and where both mind and heart can be satisfied. Only when that co-operation is attained and perfected will man attain the higher, truer understanding of himself and of the world of which he is a part; only that can give him a broad mind and a great heart. INTRODUCTION 1J5 At every birth what appears to be a new life comes among us. We see the little form as it lives and grows, becoming a factor in our lives for days, months, or years. At last there comes a day when the form dies and goes to decay. The life that came, whence we know not, has passed to the invisible beyond, and in sorrow we ask our- selves, Whence came it? Why was it here? and Wliither has it gone? Across every threshold the skeleton form of Death throws his fearsome sliadow. Old or young, well or ill, rich or poor, all, all alike must ])ass out into tliat sliadow and throughout tbe ages has sounded the piteous cry for a solution of the riddle of life — the riddle of death. So far as the vast majority of people are concerned the three great questions, Whence have we couic? AVhy are we here? Whither are we going? renuiin unanswered to this day. It has unfortunately come to l)e tlie popularly ac- ce])ted opinion tliat nothing can be definitely known about these uuitters of deepest interest to humanity. iNTotliing coidd Ije more erroiu^ous tlian such an idea. Each and every one, without exception, may ])ecome capable of obtain- ing first-hand, definite inforniation upon tliis subject; may personally investigate the state of the human spirit, both before birth and after death. There is no favoritism, nor are s]x?cial gifts recjuired. Each of us has inherently the faculty for knowing all of 'hese matters ; but ! — Yes, there is a "but," and a "P.rT"' that must l)e written large. These faculties are present in all, though latent in most jDeople. It requires persistent effort to awaken them and that seems to 1)0 a powerful deterrent. If these faculties, "awake and aware," could l)e had for a monetary consideration, even if the price were high, many people would pay it to gain such immense advajitage over tlicir fellow-men, but few indeed 20 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION are those willing to live the life that is required to awaken them. That awakening comes only hv patient, persistent effort. It cannot l)e bought ; there is no royal road to it. It is conceded that practice is necessary to learn to play the piano, and that it is useless to think of being a watch- maker without being willing to serve an apprenticeship. Yet when the matter of the soul, of death and the beyond, of the great causes of being, are the questions at issue, many think they know as much as anyone and have an equal right to express an opinion, though they may never have given the subject an hour's study. As a matter of fact, no one unless qualified by study of the subject should expect serious consideration for an opinion. In legal cases, where experts are called to testify, they are first examined as to their competency. The weight of their testimony will be nil, unless they are found to be thoroughly proficient in the branch of knowledge regarding which their testimony is sought. If, however, they are found to be qualified — by study and practice — to express an expert opinion, it is received with the utmost respect and deference; and if the testi- mony of one expert is corroborated by others equally pro- ficient, the testimony of each additional man adds im- mensely to the weight of the previous evidence. The irrefutable testimony of one such man easily coun- terbalances that of one or a dozen or a million men who know nothing of that whereof they speak, for nothing, even though multiplied by a million, will still remain nothing. This is as true of any other subject as of mathe- matics. As previously said, we recognize those facts readilv enough in material affairs, but when things beyond the world of sense, when the super-physical world is under INTRODUCTION 21 discussion; when the relations of God to man, the inner- most mysteries of the immortal spark of divinity, loosely termed the soul^ are to be probed, then each clamors for as serious consideration of his opinions and ideas regard- ing spiritual matters as is given to the sage, who by a life of patient and toilsome research has acquired wisdom in these higher things. Nay, more ; many will not oven content themselves with claiming equal consideration for their opinions, but will even jeer and scoff at the words of the sage, seek to impugn his testimony as fraud, and, with the supreme confidence of deepest ignorance, asseverate that as thej/ know nothing of such matters, it is absolutely impossible that anyone else can. The man who realizes his ignorance has taken the first step toward knowledge. The path to first-hand knowledge is not easy. Nothing worth having ever comes without persistent effort. It can- not be too often repeated that there are no such things as special gifts or "luck." All that anyone is or has, is the result of effort. "Wliat one lacks in comparison with an- other is latent in himself and capable of development by proper methods. Tf the reader, having grasped this idea thoroughly, should ask, what he must do to obtain this first-hand knowledge, the following story may serve to impress the idea, whicli is the central one in occultism: A young man came to a sage one day and asked, "Sire, what must I do to become wise?" The sage vouchsafed no answer. The youth after repeating his question a num- ber of times, with a like result, at last left him, to return the next day with the same question. Again no answer wag given and the youth returned on the third day, still rejjeav 22 KOSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION ing hi-: (luostion, "Sire, what iinist T do to become wise?" Finally the sage turned and went down to a near-by river. He entered the water, bidding the youth follow him. Upon arriving at a sufficient dojith the sage took the young man by the shoulders and hold him under the water, despite his struggles to free himself. At last, however, he released him and when the youth liad regained his l)i'catli the sage questioned him : "Son, when you were under the water what did you most desire?" "The youth answered williout licsitation, "Air, air! I wanted air !" "Would you not rather have had riches, pleasure, power or love, my son? Did you not think of any of tliese?" queried the sage. "No, sire! I wanted air and thought only of air,"" came the instant response. "Then," said the sage, "to become wise you must desire wisdom with as great intensity as you just now desired air. You must struggle for it, to the exclusion of every other aim in life. Tt must be your one and only aspiration, by day and by night. If you seek wisdom with that fervor, my son, you will surely become wise." That is the first and central requisite the aspirant to occult knowledge must possess — an unswerving desire, a burning thirst for knowledge ; a zeal that allows no obstacle to conquer it: but the supreme motive for seeking this occult knowledge must be an ardent desire to benefit hu- manity, entirely disregarding self in order to work for others. Unless prompted by that motive, occult knowledge is dangerous. Without possessing these qualifications — especially the latter- -in some measure, any attempt to tread the arduous INTRODUCTION 23 path of occultism would be a hazardous undertaking. An- other prerequisite to this first-hand knowledge, however, is the study of occultism at second-hand. Certain occult pow- ers are necessary for the first-hand investigation of matters connected with the pre-natal and post-mortem states of man, but no one need despair of acquiring information about these conditions because of undeveloped occult pow- ers. As a man may know about Africa either by going there personally or by reading descriptions written by trav- elers who have been there, so may he visit the super- physical realms if he will but qualify himself therefor, or he may learn what others who have so qualified themselves report as a result of their investigations. Christ said, "The Truth shall make you free,'" but Truth is not found once and forever. Truth is eternal, and the quest for Truth must also be eternal. Occultism knows of no "faith once for all delivered." Tliere are certain basic truths which remain, but which may be looked at from many sides, each giving a different view, which com- plements the previous ones; therefore, so far as we can see at present, there is no such achievement possible as arriving at the ultimate truth. Wherein this work differs from some philosophical works the variations are caused ])y difTerence of viewpoint, and all respect is paid to the conclusions reached and the ideas set forth by other investisrators. It is the earnest hope of the writer that the study of the following pages may help to make the student's ideas fuller and more rounded than thev were before. CHAPTEE I. The Visible axd Invisible AVorlds. THE first step in Occultism is the study of the invisi- ble Worlds, These Worlds are invisible to the majority of people because of the dormancy of the finer and higher senses whereby they may be perceived, in the same way that the Physical World about us is per- ceived through the physical senses. The majority of peo- ple are on a similar footing in regard to the super-physical Worlds as the man who is born blind is to our world of sense; although light and color are all about him, he is unable to see them. To him they are non-existent and incomprehensible, simply because he lacks the sense of sight wherewith to perceive them. Objects he can feel; they seem real ; but light and color are beyond his ken. So with the greater part of humanity. They feel, and see objects and hear sounds in the Physical World, but the other realms, wliicli the clairvoyant calls the higher Worlds, are as incomprehensible to them as light and color are to the blind man. Because the blind man cannot see color and light, however, is no argument against their existence and reality. Neither is it an argument, that l^ecause most people cannot see the super-physical Worlds no one can do so. Tf the blind man obtains his sight, he will see light and color. Tf the higher senses of those blind to the super- physical Worlds are awakened by proper methods, they 24 THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 05 also will be able to beliold the Worlds whicli are now hidden from them. While many people make the mistake of being incredu- lous concernino: the existence or reality of the super-sensu- ous Worlds, there are also many who go to the other ex- treme, and, having become convinced of the verity of invisi- ble Worlds, think that when a person is clairvoyant all truth is at once open to him ; that when one can "see," he at once "knows all about" these higher Worlds. This is a great mistake. We readily recognize the fal- lacy of such a contention in matters of everyday life. We do not think that a man who was born blind, but has ob- tained his sight, at once "knows all about" the Physical World. Xay, more ; we know that even those of us who have been able to see the things about us all our lives are far from having a universal knowledge of them. We know- that it requires arduous study and years of application to know about even that infinitesimal part of things that we handle in our daily lives, and reversing the Hermetic aphorism, "as above, so below," we gather at once that it must be the same in the other Worlds. At the same time it is also true that there are much greater facilities for acquiring knowledge in the super-physical Worlds than in our present deiise physical condition, but not so great as to eliminate the necessity for close study and tlie possi- bility of makini: a mistake in observation. In fact, all the testimony of reliable and qualified olisen-ers prove that much more care in observation is needed there than here. Clairvoyants must first Ix' trained l^efore their observa- tions are of any real value, and the more proficient they be- Cijme the more modest are they about telling of what thev see; the more do they defer to the versions of others, know- ing how much there is to learn and realizing how little the 26 EOSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION single investigator can grasp of all the detail incident to his investigations. This also accounts for the varied versions, which super- ficial people think is an argument against the existence of the higiier Worlds. They contend that if these Worlds exist, investigators must necessarily bring back identical descriptions. If we take an illustration from everyday life, the fallacy of this becomes apparent. Suppose a newspaper sends twenty reporters to a city with orders to 'Svrite it up." Reporters are, or ought to be, trained observers. It is their business to see every- thing and they should be able to give as good descriptions as can be expected from any source. Yet it is certain that of the twenty reports, no two would be exactly alike. It is much more likely that they would be totally different. Although some of them might contain leading features in common, others might l)e unique in quality and quantity of description. Is it an argument against the existence of the city that these reports differ? Certainly not ! It is easily accounted for by the fact that each saw the cit;\^ from his own par- ticular point of view and instead of these varying reports being confusing and detrimental, it is safe to say that a perusal of them all would give a fuller, better understand- ing and description of the city than if only one were road and the others thrown in the waste-basket. Each report would round out and complement the others. The same is true regarding accounts made by investi- gators of the higher Worlds. Each has his own peculiar way of looking at things and can describe only wliat he sees from his particular point of view. The account he gives may differ from those of others, yet all be equally truthful from each individual observer's viewpoint. THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 27 It is sometimes asked, Why investigate these Worlds? Why is it not best to take one World at a time; to be con- tent for the present with the lessons to be learned in the Physical World, and, if there are invisible Worlds why not wait until we reach them before investigating? '''Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof !" Why borrow niore ? If we knew without doubt that at some time, sooner or later, each one of us must be transported to a far country \rhere, under new and strange conditions, we must live for many years, is it not reasonable to believe that if we had an opportunity to learn of that country in advance of our removal to it we would gladly do so? Knowledge would render it much easier for us to accommodate ourselves to new conditions. There is only one certainty in life and that is — Death ! As we pass into the beyond and are confronted by new conditions, knowledge of them is sure to be of tlie greatest help. But that is not all. To understand the Physical World, which is the world of effects, it is necessary to understand the super-physical World, which is the world of causes. We see street cars in motion and we hear the clicking of telegraph instruments, but the mysterious force wliich causes the phenomena remains invisible to ns. We say it is electricity, but the name gives us no explanation. Wo learn nothing of the force itself; we see and liear only its effects. If a dish of cold water be placed in an atmosphere of a puflficiently low temperature ice crystals immediately ix^gin to form and we can see the process of tlieir formation. The lines along which the water crystallizes were in it all the time as lines of force but they were invisible until the water conffealed. The beautiful "frost flowers" on a win- 28 BOSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION dowpane are visible manifestations of currents of the hi<]:her Worlds which operate upon us all the time, unrecognized by most of us, but none the less potent. The higher Worlds are thus the worlds of causes, of forces; and we cannot really understand this lower World unless we know the others and realize the forces and causes of which all material things are but the effects. As to the reality of thoiie higher Worlds compared with that of the Physical World, strange as it may seem, these higher Worlds, which to the majority appear as mirages, or even less substantial, are, in truth, mnch more real and the objects in them more lasting and indestructible than the objects in the Physical World. If we take an example we shall readily see tliis. An architect does not start to build a house by procuring the material and setting the workmen to laying stone upon stone in a haphazard way, without thought or plan. He "thinks the house out." Gradually it takes form in his mind and finally there stands a clear idea of the house that is to be — a thought- form of a house. This house is yet invisible to all but the architect. He makes it objective on paper. He draws the plans and from this objective image of the thought-form the work- men construct the house of wood, iron, or stone, accurately corresponding to the thought-form originated by the architect. Thus the thought-form becomes a material reality. The materialist would assert that it is much more real, lasting and substantial than the image in the architect's mind. But let us see. The house could not have been constructed without the thought-form. The material object can be de- stroyed by dynamite, earthquake, fire, or decay, but the thought-form will remain. It will exist as long as the THE VISIBLE. AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 29 architect lives and from it any number of houses similar to the one destroyed may be constructed. Not even the archi- tect himself can destroy it. Even after his death this thought-form can be recovered by those who are qualified to read the memory of nature, which will l)e dealt with later. Having thus seen the reasonableness of such Worlds existing around and about us, and having satisfied ourselves of their reality, their permanency, and of the utility of a knowledge concerning them, we shall now examine them severally and singly, commencing with the Physical World. Chemical Region of the Physical World. In the Rosicrucian teaching the universe is divided into seven different Worlds, or states of matter, as follows: 1— World of God. 2 — World of Virgin Spirits. 3 — World of Divine Spirit. 4 — World of Life Spirit. 5— World of Thought. 6 — Desire World. 7— Physical World. This division is not arbitrary but necessary, because the substance of each of these Worlds is amenable to laws which are practically inoperative in the others. For instance, in the Physical World, matter is subject to gravity, contrac- tion and expansion. In the Desire World there is neither heat nor cold, and forms levitate as easily as they gravitate. Distance and time are also governing factors of existence in the Physical World, but are almost non-existent in the Desire World. The matter of these worlds also varies in donsitv, the Physical World being the densest of the seven. Each World is subdivided into seven Regions or sub- 30 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION divisions of matter. In the Physical WorkI the solids, li(|ui(ls and gases fonii llie three denser subdivisions, the remaining four being others of varying densities. In the other Worlds similar subdivisions are necessary, because the matter of which they are composed is not of uniform density. There are still two further distinctions to Ix" made. The three dense subdivisions of the Physical World — the solids, liquids and gases — constitute what is termed the Chemical Kegion. The substance in this Eegion is the basis of all dense Form. The Ether is also physical matter. It is not homogene- ous, as material science alleges, but exists in four ditferent states. It is the medium of ingress for the quickening spirit which imparts vitality to the Forms in the Chemical Eegion. The four finer or etheric subdivisions of the Physical World constitute what is known as the Etheric Eegion. In the World of Thought the three higher subdivisions are the basis of abstract thought, hence they, collectively, are called the Eegion of Abstract Thought. The four denser subdivisions supply the mind-stuff in which we embody and concrete our ideas and are therefore termed the Eegion of Concrete Thought. The careful consideration given by the occultist to the characteristics of the Physical World might seem super- fluous were it not that he regards all things from a view point differing widely from that of the materialist. The latter recognizes three states of matter — solids, liquids, and gases. These are all chemical, because derived from the chemical constituents of the Earth. From this chem- ical matter all the forms of mineral, plant, animal, and man have been built, hence they are as truly chemical as THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WOKLDb 31 the substances which are commonly so termed. Thus whether we consider the mountain or the cloud that en- velops its top, the juice of the plant or the blood of the animal, the spider's thread, the wing of the butterfly or the bones of the elephant, the air we breathe or the water we drink — all are composed of the same chemical sub- stance. What is it then which determines the conformation of this basic substance into the multiplex variety of Forms which we see about us? It is the One Universal Spirit, ex- pressing Itself in the visible world as four great streams of Life, at varying stages of development. This fourfold spiritual impulse molds the chemical matter of the Earth into the variegated forms of the four Kingdoms — mineral, plant, animal, and man. When a foi-n has served its purpose as a vehicle of expression for the three higher streams of life, the chemical forces disintegrate that form so that the matter may be returned to its primordial state, and thus made available for the building of new forms, "^he spirit or life which molds the form into an expression of itself is, therefore, as extraneous to the matter it uses as a carpenter is apart from and personally independent of the house he builds for his own occupancy. As all the forms (»f mineral, plant, animal, and man are chemical, they must logically be as dead and devoid of feeling as chemical matter in its primitive state, and the Rosicrucian assert= that thev are. Some scientists contend that there is feeling in all tissue, living or dead, to whatever kingdom it helonsrs. Thev in- clude even the substances ordinarilv classed as mineral in their categorv of object'^ having feelimr. and to prove their contentions they submit diagrams with curves of energy obtained from tests. Another class of investigators teach 32 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION that tliere is no feeling even in the human body, except in tiie brain, which is the seat of feeling. They say it is the brain and not the finger which feels the pain when- the latter is injured. Thus is the house of Science divided against itself on this as on most other points. The posi- tion taken by each is partly right. It depends upon what we mean by "feeling." If we mean simply response to impacts, such as the rebound of a rubber ball that is dropj)ed to the ground, of course it is correct to attribute feeling to mineral, plant, and animal tissue; but if we mean pleasure and pain, love and hate, joy and sorrow, it would be absurd to attribute them to the lower forms of life, to detached tissue, to minerals in their native state. or even to the brain, liecause such feelings are expressions of the self-conscious immortal spirit, and the brain is only the keyboard of the wonderful instrument upon which the human spirit plays its symphony of life, just as the musi- cian expresses himself upon his violin. As there are people who are quite unable to understand that there must be and are higher Worlds, so there are some who, having lx3Come slightly acquainted with the higher realms, acquire the haliit of undervaluing this Phys- ical World. Such an attitude is as incorrect as that of the materialist. The great and wise Beings who carry out the will and design of God placed us in this physical environment to learn groat and important lessons which could not be learned under other conditions, and it is our duty to use our knowledge of the higher Worlds in learn- ing to the l:)est of our ability the lessons which this mate- rial world has to teach us. In one sense the Physical World is a 3ort of model school or experiment station to teach us to work correctly in the others. It does this whether or not we know of tlw ex- THE VISIBLE AND TXVTSIRLE WOKLDS 33 istence of those other worlds, therehy proving the great wisdom of tlie originators of the plan. If we had knowl- edge of none but the higher Worlds, we would make many mistakes which would become apparent only when physical conditions are brought to bear as a criterion. To illus- trate : I^et us imagine the case of an inventor working out his idea of a machine. First he builds the machine in thought, and in his mind he sees it complete and in oper- ation, performing most l)eauti fully the work it is designed to do. He next makes a drawing of the design, and in doing so perhaps finds that modification in his first con- ception are necessary. When, from the drawings, he has become satisfied that the plan is feasible, he proceeds to build the actual machine from suitable material. Now it is almost certain that still further modifications will 1x3 found necessary l)efore the machine will work as intended. It may be found that it must be entirely re- modeled, or even that it is altogether useless in its present form, must be discavdc*! and a new plan evolved. But mark this, for here is the point : the new idea or plan will be formulated for the purpose of eliminating the defects in the useless machine. Had theie been no material ma- chine constructed, thereby making evident the faults of the first idea, a second and correct idea woidd not have l)een formed. This applies equally to all conditions of life — social, mercantile, and philanthropic. >rany plans ajijiear ex- cellent to those conceiving them, and may oven look well on pa])er. bnt when brought down to tlie actual test of utility they often fail. That, however, should not discour- age us. It is true that '"we learn more from our mist^ikes than from our successes." and the proper light in which to regard this Phvsical World is as a school of valuable 34 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION experience, in which we learn lessons of the utmost im- portance. The Etheric Region of the Physical World. As soon as we enter this realm of nature we are in the invisible, intangible World, wliere our ordinary senses fail us, hence tliis part of the Physical World is practically unexplored by material !?cionce. Air is invisible, yet modern science knows that it ex- ists. By means of instruments its velocity as wind can be measured; by compiession it can l^e made visible as liquid air. With ether, however, tliat is not so easy. Material science finds that it is necespary to account in some way for the transmission of electricity, with or without wires. It is forced to postulate some substance of a finer kind than it knows, and it calls that substance "ether." It does not really know that ether exists, as the ingenuity of the scientist has not, as yet, been able to devise a vessel in which it is possible to confine this substance, which is alto- gether too elusive for the comfort of the "wizard of the laboratory." He cannot measure, weigh, nor analyze it by any apparatus now at his disposal. Truly, the achievements of modern science are marvel- ous. The best way to learn the secrets of nature, however, is not by inventing instruments, but by improving the in- vestigator himself. Man has within himself faculties which eliminate distance and com]3ensate for lack of size to a degree as much greater tlian the power of telescope and microscope as theirs exceeds that of the naked eye. These senses or faculties are the means of investigation used by occultists. They are their "open sesame" in searching for truth. To the trained clairvoyant ether is as tangible as are the solids, liquids, and gasee of the Chemical Eegion to THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 35 ordinary beings. He sees that the vital forces which give life to the mineral forms of plant, animal and man flow into these forms, by means of the four states of ether. The names and specific functions of these four ethers are as follow: (1) Chemical Ether. — This ether is both positive and negative in its manifestation. The forces which cause as- similation and excretion work through it. Assimilation is the process whereby the different nutritive elements of food are incorporated into the body of plant, animal and man. This is carried on by forces with which we shall become acquainted later. They work along the positive pole of the che?nical ether and attract the needed elements, building them into the forms concerned. These forces do not act blindly nor mechanically, but in a selective way (well-known to scientists by its effects) thereby accom- plishing their purpose, which is the growth and mainte- nance of the body. Excretion is carried on by forces of the same kiml. but working along the negative pole of the chemical ether. By means of this pole they expel from tlie body the mate- rials in the food which are unfit for use, or tliose which have outlived their usefulness in the body and should lie expurgated from the system. This, like all other proc- esses independent of man's volition, is also wise, selective, and not merely mechanical in its operation, as seen, for instance, in the case of the action of the kidneys, where only the urine is filtered through when the organs are in health ; but it is known that when the organs are not in health, the valua])le albumen is allowed to esca|')e with the urine, the proper selection not l>eing made because of an abnormal condition. (2) Life Ether. — As the chemical ether is thi- avenue 36 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION for the operation of the forces the object of which is the maintenance of the individual form, so the life ether is the avenue for the operation of the forces which have for their object the maintenance of the species — the forces of propagation. Like the chemical ether, the life ether also has its posi- tive and negative pole. The forces which work along the positive pole are those which work in the female during gestation. They enable her to do the positive, active work of bringing forth a new being. On the other hand the forces which Avork along the negative pole of tlie life ether ena])lo the male to produce semen. In the work on the impregnated ovum of the animal and man, or upon tlie seed of tlie plant, the forces working along the positive pole of the life ether produce male plants, animals and men; while the forces which express themselves through the negative pole generate females. (3) Light Ether. — This ether is both positive and nega- tive, and the forces Avhich play along its positive pole are the forces which generate that blood heat in the higher species of animal and in man, which makes them individ- ual sources of heat. The forces which work along the negative pole of the light ether are those Avhich operate through the senses, manifesting as the passive functions 01 sight, hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling. They also build and nourish the eye. Tn the cold-blooded animals the positive pole of the light ether is the avenue of the forces which circulate the blood, and the negative forces have the same functions in regard to the eye as in the case of the higher animals and man. Where eyes are lacking, the forces working in the negative pole of the light ether are perhaps building THE A'ISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 37 or nourishing other sense organs, as tliey do in all tliat have sense organs. In phmts tlie forces wliich work along the positive pole of the light etiicr cause the circulation of the Juices of the plant. Tiius in winter, when the light ether is not charged with sunlight as in summer, the sap ceases to flow until the summer sun again invests the light ether with its force. The forces which work along the negative pole of the light ether deposit the chlorophyl, the green sub- stance of the plant and also color the flowers. In fact, all color, in all the kingdoms is deposited Ijy means of the negative pole of the light ether. Therefore animals have the deepest color on the back and flowers are deepest col- ored on the side turned towards the light. In the polar regions of the earth, where the rays of the sun are weak, all color is lighter and in some cases is so sparingly de- posited that in winter it is withdrawn altogether and the animals become white. (4) Reflecting Ether. — It has heretofore been stated that the idea of the house which has existed in the mind can be recovered from the memory of nature, even after the death of the architect. Everytiiing that has ever hap- pened has left behind it an ineffaceable ])icture in this reflecting ether. As the giant ferns of the childhood of the Earth have left their pictures in the coal beds, and as the progress of the glacier of a bygone day may be traced by means of the trail it has left upon the rocks along its path, even so are the thoughts and acts of men inefFaceably recorded by nature in this reflecting ether, where the trained seer may read their story with an ac- curacy commensurate with his ability. The reflecting ether deserves its name for more tlian one reason, for the pictures in it are but reflections of tlie 38 ROiSICRUClAN COSMO-CO.NCEPTION inemorv of nature. Tlie real memory of nature is found in a much liigher realm. In this reflecting ether no thor- oughly trained clairvoyant cares to read, as the pictures are hlurred and vague compared to those found in the higher realm. Those who read in the reflecting ether are generally those who have no choice, who, in fact, do not know in what they are reading. As a rule ordinary psy- chometrists and mediums ohtain their knowledge through tlie reflecting ether. To some slight extent the pupil of the occult school in the first stages of his training also reads in the reflecting ether, but he is warned by his teacher of the insufficiencies of this ether as a means of acquiring accurate information, so that he does not easily draw wrong conclusions. This ether is also the medium through which thought makes an impression upon the human brain. It is most intimately connected with the fourth subdivision of the World of Thought. This is the highest of the four sub- divisions contained in the Eegion of Concrete Thought and is the homeworld of the human mind. There a much clearer version of the memory of nature is found than in the reflecting ether. The Desire World. Like the Physical World, and every other realm of nature, the Desire World has the seven subdivisions called "Regions," but unlike the Physical World, it does not have the great divisions corresponding to the Chemical and Etheric Eegions. Desire-stuff in the Desire World per- sists through its seven subdivisions or regions as material for the embodiment of desire. As the Chemical Region is the realm of form and as the Etheric Region is the home of the forces carrying on life activities in those THE VISIBLE AND I>^VISIBLE WOKLDS 39 forms, enabling them to live, move and propafratc, so the forces in the Desire World, working in the quickened dense body, impel it to move in this or that direction. If there were only the activities of the Chemical and Etheric Regions of the Physical World, there would be forms having life, able to move, but with no incentive for so doing. This incentive is supplied by the cosmic forces active in the Desire World and without this activity play- ing through every fibre of the vitalized body, urging action in this direction or that, there would be no exjxjri- ence and no moral growth. The functions of the different ethers would take care of th(i growth of the form, but moral growth would be entirely lacking. Evolution would be an impossibility, both as to form and life, for it is only in response to the acquirements of spiritual growth that forms evolve to higher states. Thus we at once see the great importance of this realm of nature. Desires, wishes, passions, and feelings express them- selves in the matter of the different regions of the De- sire World as form and feature expre^^s themselvo? in the Chemical Region of the Physical World. They take forms which last for a longer or shorter time, according to the intensity of the desire, wish, or feeling embodied in thorn. In the Desire World the distinction between the forces and the matter is not so definite and apparent as in the Physical World. One might almost say that here the ideas of force and matter are identical or interchange- able. It is not quite so, but we may say that to a certain extent the Desire World consists of force-matter. When speaking of the matter of the Desire World, it is true that it is one degree less dense than the matter of the Physical World, but we entertain an entirely wrong idea if we imagine it is /iner physical matter. That idea, 40 ROSICRUCIAN (^OSMO-CONCEPTION though held bv iiianv wlio have studied occult philosophies, is entirely erroneous. The wrong impression is caused principally by the difficulty of giving the full and accurate description necessary for a thorough understanding of the higher worlds. TTnfortunately, our language is descriptive of material things and therefore entirely inadequate to describe the conditions of the su))er-physical realms, hence all that is said about these realms must be taken tenta- tively, as similes, rather than as accurate descriptions. Though the mountain and the daisy, the man, the horse, and a piece of iBon, are composed of one ultimate atomic substance, we do not say that the daisy is a finer form of iron. Similarly it is impossible to explain in words the change or difference in physical matter when it is broken up into desire-stuff. If there were no difference it would be amenable to the -laws of the Physical World, which it is not. The law of matter of the Chemical Region is inertia — the tendency to remain in statu quo. It takes a certain •amount of force to overcome this inertia and cause a body which is at rest to move, or to stop a body in motijon. Not so with the matter of the Desire World. That matter itself is almost living. It is in unceasing motion, fluid, taking all imaginable and unimaginable forms with inconceivable facility and rapidity, at the same time coruscating and scintillating in a thousand ever-changing shades of color, incomparable to anything we know in this physical state of consciousness. Something very faintly resembling the action and appearance of this matter will be seen in the play of colors on an abalone shell when held in the sun- light and moved to and fro. That is what the Desire World i< — ever-changing light and color — in which the forces of animal and man inter- THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 41 mingle with tlie forces of innumerable Hierarchies of spiiit- ual beings which do not appear in our Physical World, but are as active in the Desire World as we are here. Some of them will Ix? dealt with later and their connection with man's evolution described. 'J'ho forces sent out by this vast and varied host of Be- ings molds the ever-changing matter of the Desire World into innumerable and differing forms of more or less durability, according to the kinetic energy of the impulse which gave them birth. From this slight description it may be understood how difficult it is for a neophyte who has just had his inner eyes opened to find his balance in the World of Desire. The trained clairvoyant soon ceases to wonder at the impossi- ble descriptions sometimes brought through by mediums. They may be perfectly honest, but the possi])ilitios of getting the i^arallax out of focus are legion, and of the subtlest nature, and the real wonder is that they ever, com- municate anytliing correctly. All of us had to learn to see, in the days of our infancy, as we may readily find l)y watching a young babe. It will l)e found that the little one will reach for objects on the other side of the room c the street, or for the ^loon. ITe is entirely unable to gauge distances. The blind man who has been made to see will, at first, often close his eyes to walk from one place to another, declaring, until he has learned to use his eyes, that it is easier to walk by feeling than by sight. So the one whose inner organs of perception have been vivified must also l)e trained in the use of his newly ac- quired faculty. At first the neophyte will try to apply to the Desire World the knowledge derived from his expeH- ence in the Physical World, because he has not yet learned tke laws of the world into which he is enterint;. This is 4,2 KOSlCRUCIlAiN COSMO-CONCEPTION the source of a vast amount of trouble and perplexity. Before he can understand^ he must become as a little child, which imbibed knowledge witliout reference to any ])re- vious experience. 'I'o arrive at a correct understanding of the Desire World it is necessary to realize that it is the world of feel- ings, desire'^, and emotions. These are all undor the domi- nation ot two great forces — Attraction and Kcpulsion. which act in a ditferent way in the three denser Regions of the Desire World from that in which they act in the three 'finer or ujiper Regions, while the central Region may he called neutral ground. This c(nitral Region is the Region of feeling. Hero interest in or indifference to an object or an idea sways the balance in favor of one of the two previously mentioned forces, thereby relegating the object or idea to the three higher or the three lower. Regions of the Desire World, or else they will exj)el it. We shall see presently how this is accomplished. Tn the finest and rarest substance of the three higher Regions of the Desire World the force of Attraction alone holds sway, but it is also present in some degree in the denser matter of the three lower Regions, where it works against the force of Repulsion, which is dominant there. The disintegrating force of Repulsion would soon destroy every form coming into these three lower Regions were it not that it is thus counteracted. Tn the densest or lowest Region, where it is strongest, it tears and shatters the forms built there in a way dreadful to see, yet it is not a vandalistic force. Nothing in nature is vandalistic. All that appears so is hut working towards good. So with this force in its work in the lowest Region of the Desire THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 43 World. The forms here are demoniac creations, built by the coarsest passions and desires of man and beast. The tendency of every form in the Desire World is to attract to itself all it can of a like nature and grow tliereby. If this tendency to attraction were to predominate in the lowest Regions, evil would grow like a weed. There would be anarchy instead of order in the Cosmos. This is pre- vented by the preponderating power of the force of Re- pulsion in this Region. When a coarse desire form is being attracted to another of the same nature, there is a disharmony in their vibrations, whereby one has a dis- integrating effect upon the other. Thus, instead of unit- ing and amalgamating evil with evil, they act with mutual destructiveness and in tliat way the evil in the world is kept within reasonable bounds. When we understand the working of the twin forces in this respect we are in a posi- tion to understand the occult maxim, "A lie is both mur- der and suicide in the Desire World." Anything happening in the Physical World is reflected in all the other realms of nature and, as we have seen, builds its a]ipropriate form in the Desire World. When a true account of the occurrence is given, another form is built, exactly like tlie first. They are then drawn together and coalesce, strengthening each other. If, however, an untrue account is given, a form different from and antago- nistic to tlio first, or true one, is created. As they deal with iho same occurrence, they are drawn together, but as their vibrations are different they act upon each other with mutual destructiveness. Therefore, evil and malicious lies can kill anything that is good, if they are strong enough and repeated often enough. But, conversely, seeking for the irood in evil will, in time, transmute the evil into good. If the form tliat is built to minimize the evil is weak, it 44 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION will have no effect and will be destroyed by the evil form, but if it is stronfi^ and frequently repeated it will have the effect of disintegrating the evil and substituting the good. That effect, be it distinctly understood, is not brought about l)y lying, nor denying the evil, but by looking for the good. The occult scientist practices very rigidly this princii)le of looking for good in all things, because he knows what a power it possesses in keeping down evil. Thci'i' is a stoi-y of Christ which illustrates this point. Once Avhen walking with His disciples they passed the decaying and ill-smelling carcass of a dog. The disciples turned in ilisgust, commenting upon the nauseating na- ture of the sight ; but Chri.st looked at the dead body and said " Pearls are not whiter than its teeth." He was de- termined to find the good, because He knew the beneficial effect which would result in the Desire World from giv- ing it exi)ression. The lowest Region of the Desire World is called "the Regio)i of Passion and Sensual Desire." The second sub- division is l)est described by the name of "Region of Im- pressionability.' Here the effect of the twin forces of Attraction and Repulsion is evenly balanced. This is a neuti'al Region, hence all our impressions which ai'e built of the matter of this Region are neutral. Only Avhen the twin feelings, which we shall meet in the fourth Region, are Ijrought to bear, do the twin foi-ces come into play. The mere impression of anything, however, in and of itself, is entirely separate from the feeling it engenders. The impression is neutral and is an activity of the second Region of the Desire World, where pictures are formed by the forces of Kense-])erception in the vital body of man. In the third Region of the Desire World, the force of Attraction, the integrating, upbuilding force, has already THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 45 gained tbe upper liand over the force of Repulsion, witli its destructive tendency. When we understand that the mainspring in this force of Repulsion is self-assertion, a pushing away of all others that it may have room, we shall understand that it gives way most easily to a desire for other things, so that tlie suhstance of the third Region of the Desire World is principally dominated by the force of Attraction towards other things, hut in a selfish way, and therefore this is the Region of Wishes. The Iicgion of Coarse Desires may be likened to the solids in the Physical World ; the Region of Impression- ability to the fluids; and the fluctuating, evanescent nature of the Region of Wishes will make that compare with the gaseous portion of the Physical World. These three Re- gions give the substance for the forms which make for experience, soul-growth and evolution, purging the alto- gether destructive and retaining the materials which may be used for progress. The fourth Region of the Desire World is the "Region of Feeling.'' From it comes the feeling concerning the already descrilied forms and upon the feeling engendered by them depends the life which they have for us and also their effect upon us. ^^■hether the objects and ideas pre- sented are good or bad in themselves is not important at this stage. It is our reeling, whether of Interest or In- difference that is the determining factor as to the fate of tlie object or idea. If the feeling with which we meet an impression of an object or an idea is Interest, it has the same effect upon that impression as sunlight and air have upon a plant. That idea will grow and flourish in our lives. If, on the other hand, we meet an impression or idea with Indiffer- ence, it withers as does a plant when put in a dark ('('liar. 46 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO CONCEPTION TlniP from this central Kegion of the Desire World conios the incentive to action, or the decision to refrain therefrom (though the latter is also action in the eyes of the occult scientist), for at the present stage of our de- velopment the twin feelings, Interest and Indifference furnish the incentive to action and are the springs that move the world. At a later stage these feelings will cease to have any weight. Then the determining factor will be dutij. Interest starts the forces of Attraction or Eepiilsion. Indifference simply withers the object or idea against which it is directed, so far as our connection with it is concerned. If our interest in an object or an idea generates Re- pulsion, that naturally causes us to expurgate from our lives any connection with the object or idea which roused it; but there is a great difference between the action of the force of Repulsion and the mere feeling of Indiffer- ence. Perhaps an illustration will make more clear the operation of tlio twin Feelings and the twin Forces. Three uk'u arc walking along a road. They see a sick dog; it is covered with sores and is evidently suffering in- tensely from pain and thirst. This much is evident to all three men — their senses tell lliciii that. Xow Feeling comes. Two of them take an "interest'' in the animal, but in the third there is a feeling of "indifference." He passes on. leaving the dog to its fate. The others remain ; they are both interested, but each manifests it in a quite different way. The interest of one man is sympathetic and helpful, impelling him to care for the poor beast, to as- suage pains and nurse it back to health. In him the feel- ing of interest has aroused the force of Attraction. The other man's interest is of a different kind. He sees only THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 47 a loathsome sight which is revolting to him and wishes to rid himself and the world of it as quickly as possible. He advises killing tlie animal outright and burying it. In him the feeling of interest generates the destructive force of Repulsion. When the feeling of Interest arouses the force of At- traction and it is directed toward low objects and desires, these work themselves out in the lower Regions of the Desire World, where the counteracting force of Re])ulsion operates, as previously described. From the battle of the twin forces — Attraction and Repulsion — results all the pain and suffering incident to wrongdoing or misdirected effort, whether intentional or otherwise. Thus we may see how very important is the Feeling we have concerning anything, for upon that depends the nature of the atmosphere we create for ourselves. If we love the good, we shall keep and nourish as guardian angels all that is good about us ; if the reverse, we shall people our path with demons of our own breeding. The names of the three upper Regions of the Desire World are "Region of Soul-Life," "Region of Soul-Light." and "Region of Soul-Powor." In these abide Art, .Mtru- ism. Philanthropy, and all tlio activities of the higher soul-life. When we think of these Regions as radiating the qualities indicated by their names, into the forms of the three InWer Regions, we shall understand correctly the higher and lower activities. Soul-power, however, may for a time be used for evil ])urposes as well as for good, but eventually the force of Repulsion destroys vice and the force of Attraction builds virtue u))on its shattered ruins. All things, in the ultimate, work together for GOOD. The Physical and the Desire Worlds are not separated 48 KUSiCKL'CiA.N CUiSMO-COxNCEPTlON from oacli other by space. They are "closer than hands iind I'ect."" It is not necessary to move to get from one to tlie other, nor from one Region to the next. Just as solids, liquids, and gases are all together in our bodies, inter- penetrating one another, so are the dill'erent Regions of the Desire World within us also. We may again com- pare the lines of force along which ice-crystals form in water to the invisible causes originating in the Desire World, which appear in the Physical World and give us the incentive to action, in whatever direction it may be. The Desire World, witli its innumerable inhabitants, permeates the Physical World, as the lines of force do the water — invisible, but everywhere present and potent as the cause of everything in the Physical World. The World of Thought. The World of Thought also consists of seven Regions of varying qualities and densities, and, like the Physical World, the World of Thought is divided into two main divisions — the Region of Concrete Thought, comprising the four densest Regions ; and the Region of Abstract 'Hiought, comprising the three Regions of finest substance. This World of Thought is the central one of the five Worlds from which man obtains his vehicles. Here spirit and body meet. It is also the highest of the three Worlds in which man's evolution is being carried forward at the present time, the two higher Worlds being practically in abeyance as yet, so far as man is concerned. We know that the materials of the Chemical Region are used in l>uilding all physical forms. These forms are given life and tiie power of motion by the forces at work in the Etheric Region, and some of these living forms are stirred into activity by means of the twin Feelings of the Desire THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 49 World. The Region of Concrete Thought furnishes the mind-stuff in which ideas generated in the Region of Ab- stract Thought clothe themselves as tli ought-forms, to act as regulators and balance wheels upon the impulses en- gendered in the Desire World by impacts from the phenom- enal World. Thus we see how tlie three Worlds, in which man is at present evolving, complement one another, making a whole that shows forth the Su])reme Wisdom of the Great Archi- tect of the system to which we belong, and Whom we rev- erence by the holy name of God. Taking a more detailed view of the several divisions of the Region of Concrete Thought we find that the arche- types of physical form no matter to what kingdom they may belong, are found in its lowest subdivision, or tlie "Continental Region.'' In this Continental Region are also the archetypes of the continents and the isles of tho world, and corresponding to these archetypes are they fashioned. ^Modifications in tlie crust of the Earth must first be wrought in the Continental Region. Xot until the archetypal model has been changed can the Intelligences which we (to hide our ignorance concerning them) call the "Laws of Xature," bring about the physical conditions which alter the physical features of the Earth according to the modifications designed by the Hierarchies in charge of evolution. Tlioy plan changes as an architect plans tlie alteration of a building before the workmen give it con- crete expression. In like manner are changes in the fom and fauna due to mctt placed one above another, as shown in the diagram. They inter-penotratc — that is to sav. that a>^ in the case where the relation of the Pbvsical Wor'd ami the Desire World were compared, where wc likened the Desire World to the lines of force in fieczing water and the water itself to the Physical World, in the same way we may think of the lines of force as being anv of the seven Worlds, and the Diagram 1 — The Relative Pennaneucy of the Visible and Invisible Worlds. (Illustratod by comparison with a stereopticon.) 52 THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE WORLDS 53 water, as in our illustration, would correspond to the next denser World in the scale. Another illustration may per- haps make the subject clearer. Ijet us u?e a spherical sponge .'^ represent the dense earth — the Chemical Region. Imagine that sand permeates every part of the sponge and also forms a layer outside the sponge. Let the sand represent the Etheric Region, which in a similar manner permeates the dense earth and ex- tends beyond its atmosphere. Let us further imagine this sponge and sand immersed in a spherical glass vessel tilled with clear water, and a little larger than the sponge and sand. We place the sponge and sand in the center of the vessel as the yolk is placed in the center of an egg. We have now a space of clear water between the sand and the vessel. The water as a whole will represent the Desire World, for just as the water percolates between the grains of sand, through every pore of the sponge, and forms that clear layer, so the Desire World permeates lioth the dense Earth and the ether and extends l)ey(>nd both of these substances. We know there is air in water, and if we think of the air in the water (in our illustration), as representing the World nf Thought, we shall have a fair mental picture of the way in which the World of Thought, being finer and more subtle, inter-penetrates the two denser Worlds. Finally, imagine that the vessel containing the sponge, sand and water is ])hued in the center of a larger spherical vessel then the air in the space between the two vess<^ls would re])resent that part of the World of Thought which extends beyond the Desire World. P2ach of the planets in our solar system has three such inter-penetrating Worlds, and if we think of each of the planets consisting of three Worlds as lieing individual 54 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION DIAGRAM a THE SEVEN WORLDS WORLD OF GOD Consisting ofy\J Regions. WORLD This World consists of 7 Regions and is the OF abode of the Virgin Spirits when they have VIRGIN been differentiated in God before the pilgrim- SPIRITS age through matter. Vehicles of Man WORLD OF Consists of 7 Regions and is the abode of the DIVINE SPIRIT highest spiritual influence in man. Divine Spirit WORLD OF LIFE SPIRIT Consists of 7 Regions and is the abode of the second aspect of the threefold spirit in man. Life Spirit 7th Region contains the germinal idea of form in mineral, plant, animal and man. REGION OF 6th Region contains germinal idea of life In ABSTRACT plant, animal and man. 5th Region contains germinal idea of desire THOUGHT and emotion in animal and man; abode of 3rd aspect of spirit in man. Human Spirit REGION OF CONCRETE THOUCTHT 4th Region contains the archetypal forces and the human mind.. It is the focusing point through which the spirit mirrors itself in mat- ter. 3rd Region archetypes of desire and emotion. 2nd Region archetypes of universal vitality. 1st Region archetypes of form. :i Mind 7th Region Soul-Power 6th Region Soul-Light 5th Region Soul-Life. ^ •Attraction DESIRE WORLD 4th Region Feeli Jin lln difference. Desire Body 3rd Region Wishes ■» 2nd Region Impressionability j 1st Region Passion and Low DesircJ Repulsion. 7th Region Reflecting ether, memory of nature. 6th Region Light ether, medium of sense per- ETHERIC ception. REGION 5th Region Life ether, medium for propagation. 4th Region Chemical ether, medium for assimi- lation and excretion. Vital Body o CHEMICAL 3rd Region Gases. 0) > T REGION 2rd Region Liquids. 1st Region Solids. a. Dense Body THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE "WORLDS r,.-, sponges, and of the fourth World, the World of Life Spirit, as being the water in a large vessel where these threefold separate sponges swim, we shall understand that as the water in the vessel fills the space between the sponges and percolates through them, so the World of Life Spirit per- vades inter-planetarv space and inter-penetrates the indi- vidual planets. It forms a common bond between them, so that as it is necessary to have a boat and l^e able to control it, if we wish to sail from America to Africa, so it is necessary to have a vehicle correlated to the World of Life Spirit under our conscious control in order to be able to travel from one planet to another. In a manner similar to that in which the World of Life Spirit correlates us to the other planets in our own solar system does the World of Divine Spirit correlate us to the other solar systems. We may regard the solar systems as separate sponges, swimming in a World of Divine Spirit, and thus it will be apparent that in order to travel from one solar system to another it would be necessary to be able to function consciously in the highest vehicle of man, the Divine Spirit. CHAPTER II. The Four Kingdoms. TPIE three Worlds of our planet are at present the field of evolution, for a number of different king- doms of life, at various stages of development. Only four of these need concern us at present, viz. : the mineral, plant, animal, and human kingdoms. These four kingdoms are related to the three Worlds in different ways, according to the progress these groups of evolving life have made in the school of experience. So far as form is concerned the dense bodies of all the king- doms are composed of the same chemical substances — the solids, liquids, and gases of the Chemical Eegion. The dense body of a man is as truly a chemical compound as is the stone, although the latter is ensouled by mineral life only. But even when speaking from the purely physical standpoint, and laying aside all other considerations for the time being, there are several important differences when we compare the dense body of the human being with the min- eral of the Earth, ^lan moves, grows, and propagates his species — the mineral^ in its native state, does none of these things. Comjiaring man with the forms of the plant kingdom, we find that both plant and man have a dense body, capa- ble of growth and propagation. But Man has faculties not possessed by tlic plant. He feels, has the power of motion, and the faculty of perceiving tilings exterior to himself. 66 THE FOUR KINGDOMS 57 When we compare man with the animal we see that both liave the faculties of feeling, motion, growth, propa- gation, and sense-perception. In addition, man has the faculty of s|)oech, a superior structure of the hrain, and also hands — which are a very great physical advantage. We may note especially the development of the thumb, which makes the hand mucli more valuable than even that of the anthropoid. Man has also evolved a definite lan- guage in which to express his feelings and thoughts, all of which places the dense body of the human being in a 'class by itself, beyond the three lower kingdoms. To account for these differences in the four kingdoms we must go to the invisible Worlds, and seek the causes which give one kingdom that which is denied to another. To function in any world, and express the qualities peculiar to it, we must first possess a vehicle made of its material. In order to function in the dense Piiysical World it is necessary to have a dense body, adapted to our environment. Otherwise we should be ghosts, as they are commonly called, and be invisible to most physical l)eings. So we must have a vital body, before we can express life, grow, or externalize^ the other qualities peculiar to the Ethcric Region. To show feeling and ciiidtinn it is necessary to Itavc a vehicle composed of the materials of tlie Desire World, and a mind foruicd of the substance of the Region of Concrete Thought is necessary to render thinking possible. When we examine the four kingdoms in relation to the Etheric Region, we find that the mineral does not ]>osses3 a separate vital body, and at once we see the reason why it cannot grow, propagate, or show sentient life. As an hypothesis necessary to account for other known facts, material science holds that in the densest solid, as in 68 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO CONCEPTION file rarest and most attenuated gas, no two atoms touch each other ; that there is an envelope of ether around each atom; that the atoms in the universe float in an ocean of ether. The occult scientist knows this to be true of the Chem- ical Region and that the mineral does not possess a separate vital body of ether. And as it is the planetary ether alone which envelops the atoms of the mineral, that makes the difference described. It is necessary, as we have shown, to have a separate, vital Jjodij, desire hodij, etc., to express the qualities of a particular realm, because the atoms of the World of Desire, of tlie World of Thought and even of the Highe:* Worlds, inter-penetrate the ^Fineral as well as the dense human body, and if the inter-penetration of the planetaiy ether, which is the ether that envelops the atoms of t::e mineral, were enough to make it feel and propagate its inter-jienctration I;y the planetary World of Thought would also be sullicient to make it think. This it cannot do, because it lacks a separate vehicle. It is penetrated by the planetary ether only, and is therefore incapable of indi- vidual growth. Only the lowest of the four states of ether — the chemical — is active in the mineral. The chem- ical forces in minerals are due to that fact. When we consider plant, animal, and man in relation to the Etheric Region we note that each has a separate, vital body, in addition to being penetrated by the planetary ether which forms the Etheric Region. There is a differ- ence, however, between the vital bodies of the plants and the vital bodies of animal and man. In the vital body of the plant only the chemical and the life ethers are fully active. Hence the plant can grow by the action of the chemical ether and propagate its species through the activ- ity of the life ether of the separate, vital body which it THE FOUR KINGDOMS 59 possesses. The light ether is present, but is partially latent or dormant and refloctino^ ether is lacking. Therefore it is evident that the faculties of sense-perception and mem- ory, which are the e- hued and spreads along the nerves all over the dense body. It is to the nervous system what the force of electricity is to a telegraph system. Though there be wires, instruments, and telegraph operators all in order, if the electricity is lacking, no message can be sent. The Ego, the brain, and the nervous system may be in seemingly perfect order, but if the vital force be lacking to carry the message of the Ego through the nerves to the muscles, the dense bo'^'' will remain inert. This is exactly what happens when part of the dense body becomes paralyzed. The vital body has be- come diseased and the vital force can no longer flow. In such cases, as in most sickness, the trouble is with the finer invisible vehicles. In conscious or unconscious rec- ognition of this fact, the most successful physicians use suggestion — which works upon the higher vehicles — as an aid to medicine. The more a physician can imbue his patient with faith and hope, tlie s])eedier disease will van- ish and give place to perfect health. During health the vital body specializes a superabundance of vital force, which, after passing through a dense body, radiates in straight lines in every direction from the per- iphery thereof, as the radii of a circle do from the center; but during ill-health, when the vital l)ody becomes attenu- ated, it is not able to draw to itself the same amount of force and in addition the dense body is feeding upon it. Then the lines of the vital fluid which pass out from the body are crumpled and bent, showing the lack of force behind them. In health the great force of these radiations carries with it germs and microbes which are inimical to the health of the dense body, but in sickness, when the vital force is weak, these emanations do not so readily eliminate 64 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION disease germs. Therefore the danger of contracting di^i- ease is much greater when the vital forces are low than when one is in robust health. In cases where parts of the dense body arc amputated, only the planetary ether accompanies the separated part. The separate vital body and the dense body disintegrate synchronously after death. So with the etheric coun- terpart of the amputated limb. It will gradually disintegrate as the dense member decays, but in the meantime the fact that the man still possesses the etheric limb accounts for his assertion that he can feel his fin- gers or suffers pain in them. There is also a connection with a buried member, irrespective of distance. A case is on record where a man felt a severe pain, as if a nail had been driven into the flesh of an amputated limb, and he persisted until the limb was exhumed, when it was found that a nail had been driven into it at the time it was boxed for burial. The nail was removed and the pain instantly stopped. It is also in accordance with these facts that people complain of pain in a limb for perhaps two or three years after the amputation. The pain will then cease. This is because the disease remains in the still undetached etheric limb, but as the amputated part dis- integrates, the etheric limb follows suit and tlms the pain ceases. Having noted the relations of the four kingdoms to the Etheric Region of the Physical World, we will next turn our attention to their relation to tlie Desire World. Here we find that both minerals and plants lack the separate desire body. They are permeated only by the planetary desire body, the Desire World. Lacking the separate vehicle, they are incapable of feeling, desire, and emotion, which are faculties pertaining to the Desire THE FOUR KINGDOMS 65 World. When a stone is broken, it docs not feel ; but it would be wrong to infer that there is no feeling connected with such an action. That is the materialistic view, or the view tiiken by the uncomprehending multitude. The occult scientist knows that there is no act, great or small, which is not felt throughout the universe, and even though the stone, because it has no separate de>ire body, cannot feel, the Spirit of the Earth feels because it is the Earth's desire body that permeates the stone. When a man cuts his finger, the finger, having no separate desire body, does not feel the pain, l)ut the man does, because it is his desire body which permeates the finger. If a plant is torn up l)y the roots, it is felt by the Spirit of the Karth as a man would feel if a hair were torn from his head. This Earth is a living, feeling body, and all the forms which are with- out separate desire bodies througli which their informing spirits may experience feeling, are included in the desire body of the Earth and that desire body has feeling. The breaking of a stone and the breaking off of ilowers are productive of pleasure to the Earth, wliile the ))iilling out of plants by the root causes pain. The reason is given in the latter ])art of this work, for at this stage of our study the explanation would be incompreheiisihU' to the general reader. The ])lanetary Desire World ]nilsates through the dense and vital Inidies of animal and man in the same way that it |)('netrates the mineral and jilant, but iu addition to this. animal and man have separate desire bodies, which enable them to feel desire, emotion and passion. There is a differ- ence, however. Tlie desire body of the animal is built en- tirely of tlie material of the denser regions of the TVsire World, while in the case of even the lowest of human races a little of the matter of the hiirher Regions enters into tlie 66 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION composition of the desire body. The feelings of animals and the lowest huiiian i-aces ai'o almost entirely concerned with the gratification of the lowest desires and passion^ which find their expression in the matter of tlie lower Eegions of the Desire World. Hence, in order that they may have such emotions to ediicat-e them for something higher, it is necessary that they should have the corre- sponding materials in tlieir desire bodies. As man pro- gresses in the school of life, his experiences teach him, and his desires become jmn' ■ aud better. Thus by degrees the matci'ial of his dcsii'e body undergoes a corresponding change. The purer and brighter nuiterial of the higher Eegions of the Desire World replaces the murky colors of the lower part. The desire body also grows in size, so that in a saint it is truly a glorious object to behold, the purity of its colors and its luminous transjiarency being beyond adequate simile. Tt must be seen to W appreciated. At present the materials of both the lower and the higher Eegions enter into the composition of the desire bodies of the great majority of mankind. None are so bad that they have not some good trait. This is expressed in the materials of the higher Eegions which we find in their desire bodies. But^ on the other hand, very, very few are so good that they do not use some of the materials of the lower Eegions. In the same way that the planetary vital and desire bodies inter-penetrate the dense material of the Earth, as we saw in the illustration of the sponge, the sand and the water, so the vital and desire bodies inter-penetrate the dense body of plant, aninuil aiul man. But during the life of man his desire body is not shaped like his dense and vital bodies. After death it assumes that sha]ie. During life it has the appearance of a luminous ovoid which, in THE FOUR KINGDOMS 67 vraking hours, completely surrounds tl\e dense body, as the albumen does the yolk of an egg. It extends from twelve to sixteen inches beyond the dense body. In this desire body there are a number of sense-centers, but, in the great majority of people, they are latent. It is the awakening of these centers of perception that corresponds to the opening of the blind man's eyes in our former illus- tration. The matter in the human desire body is in in- cessant motion of inconceivable rapidity. There is in it no settled place for any particle, as in the dense body. The matter that is at the head one moment may be at the feet in the next and back again. There are no organs in the desire body, as in the dense and vital bodies, but there are centers of ])erception, which, when active, appear as vor- tices, always remaining in the same relative position to the dense body, most of them about the head. In the majority of people they are mere eddies and are of no use as centers of perception. They may be awakened in all, however, but different methods produce different results. In the involuntary clairvoyant developed along improper, negative lines, these vortices turn from right to left, or in the ojiposite direction to the hands of a clock — counter- clockwise. In the desire body oL' the properly trained voluntary clairvoyant, they turn in the same direction as the hands of a clock — clockwise, glowing with exceeding splendor, far surpassing the brilliant luminosity of the ordinary desire body. These centers furnish him with means for the per- ception of things in the Desire World and he sees, and in- vestigates as he wills, while the peison whose centers turn counter-clockwise is like a mirror, which reflects what passes before it. Such a ]">erson is incapable of reaching out for information. Tb.e reason for this belongs to a later 68 BOSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION chapter, but the above is one of the fundaineutal dilfereneefc' between a medium and a i^roperly trained clairvoyant. It is impossible for most people to distinguish between the two ; yet there is one infallible rule that can be followed by anyone: No goiuincli/ developed seer will ever exercise this faculty for money or its equivalent; nor will he use it to gratify curiosity; hut only to help humanity. Xo one capable of teaching the projx^r method for the development of this faculty will ever charge so much a lesson. Those demanding money for the exercise of, or for giving lessons in these tilings never have anything worth paying for. The above rule is a safe and sure guide, which all may follow with absolute confidence. In a far distant future man's desire body Avill become as definitely organized as are the vital and dense bodies. When that stage is reached Ave shall all have the power to function in the desire body as we now do in the dense body, which is the oldest and best organized of these bodies of man — the desire body being the youngest. The desire body is rooted in the liver, as the vital body is in the spleen. In all warm-blooded creatures, which are the highest evolved, and have feelings, passions and emotions, which reach outward into the world with desire, which may be said to really live in the fuller meaning of the term and not merely vegetate — in all such creatures the currents of the desire body flow outward from the liver. The desire stuff is continually welling out in streams or currents which travel in curved lines to every point of the periphery of the ovoid and then return to tlie liver through a number of vortices, much as boiling water is continually welling outward from the source of heat and returning to it after completing its cvcle. *>4 ^ THE FOUR KINGDOMS G9 The plants are devoid of this impelling, energizing principle, lience they cannot sliow life and motion as can the more highly developed organisms. Where there is vitality and motion, hut no red l)lood, there is no separate desire hody. The creature is simply in the transition stage from plant to animal and therefore it moves entirely in the strength of the group-spirit. In the co/(Z-hlooded animals which have a liver and red Wood, there is a separate desire body and the group-spirit directs the currents inward, because in their case the sepa- rate spirit (of the individual fish or reptile for instance) is entirely outside the dense vehicle. "When the organism has evolved so far that the separate spirit can commence to draw into its vehicles then it (the individual spirit) commences to direct the currents out- ivard, and we see the l^eginning of passionate existence and warm blood. It is the warm, red blood in tlie liver of the organism sulHciently evolved to have an //Klwelling spirit which energizes the outgoing currents of desire stuff that cause the animal or the man to display desire and passion. In the case of the animal the spirit is not yet entirely mdwelling. It does not become so until the points in tlie vital body and the dense body come into correspond- ence, as explained in Cliapter XII. For this reason the animal is not a "liver,'' that is, he does not live as com- pletely as does man, not being capable of as fine desires ami emotions, because not as fully conscious. The mammalia of today are on a higher plane than was man at the animal stage of his evolution, because they have warm, red blood, which man did not have at that stage. This diiference in status is accounted for by the spiral path of evolution, which also accounts for the fact that man is a higher tv))0 of humanity than the present Angels were in ^lieir human 70 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION stage. The pro?ont mammalia, wliich liave in thoir animal stage attained to the possession of warm, red blood, and are therefore capable of experiencing desire and emotion to some extent, will, in the Jupiter Period, be a purer and better type of humanity than we are now, while from among our present humanity there will be some, even in the Jupiter Period, who will be openly and avowedly wicked. Moreover, they will not then be able to conceal their passions as is now possible, but will be unabashed about their evil-doing. In the light of this exposition of the connection between the liver and the life of the organism, it is noteworthy tliat in several European languages (English, German, and the Scandinavian tongues) the same word signifies the organ of the body (the liver) and also "one who lives.'* When we turn our attention to the four kingdoms in their relation to the World of Thought we find that min- erals, plants and animals lack a vehicle correlating them to that World. Yet we know some animals think, but they are the highest domesticated animals which have come into close touch with man for generations and have thus developed a faculty not possessed by other animals, which have not had that advantage. This is on the same princi- ple that a highly charged wire will "induce" a weaker cur- rent of electricity in a wire brought close to it ; or that a man of strong morals will arouse a like tendency in a weaker nature, while one morally weak will be overthrown if brought within the influence of evil characters. All we do, say, or are, reflects itself in our surroundings. This is why the highest domestic animals think. They are the highest of their kind, almost on the point of individualiza- tion, and man's thought vibrations have "induced" in them a similar activity of a lower order. With the exceptions THE FOUR KINGDOMS 71 noted, the animal kingdom lia.s not acquired the faculty of thought. They are not individualized. This is the great and cardinal dift'erence between the human and other king- doms. Man is an individual. The animals, plants and minerals are divided into species. They are not individual- ized in the same sense that man is. It is true that we divide mankind into races, trilx?s and nations; we note the difference between the Caucassian, the Negro, the Indian, etc.; but that is not to the ])oint. If we wish to study the characteristics of the lion or the elephant or any other species of the lower animals, all that is necessary is to take any member of that species for that pur])ose. When we learn the characteristics of one animal, we know the characteristics of the s])ecies to which it be- longs. All members of the same animal tfibe are alike. That is the point. A lion, or its father, or its son, all look alike: there is no difference in the way they will act under like conditions. All have the same likes and ilis- likes; one is the same as another.. Xot so with Iniiiian beings. If we want to know about the characteristics of Xcgroes. it is not enough that we examine one single individual. It would be necessarv to examine each individually, and oven tbi'U we will arrive at no knowledge concerning Negroes "as a whole,'' sim]ily because that which was a characteristic of the single indi- vidual does not ajjply to the race collectively. If we desire to know the character of Abraham Lin- coln it will avail us nothing to study his father, his graiul- fatbcr. or bis son, for they w a body. At present it is simply a link, a sheath for the use of the Ego as a focusing point. It is the last of the rehicles that have hcen built. The spirit works gradually from finer into coarser suhstance, the vehicles also heing built in fine substance first, then in coarser and coarser substance. The dense body was built first and has now come into its fourth stage of density; the vital body it in its third stage and the desire body in its second, hence it is still cloud-like, and the sheath of mind is filmier still. As those vehicles have not, as yet, evolved any organs, it is clear that they alone would be useless as vehicles of con- sciousness. The Ego, however, enters info the dense body and connects these organless vehicles with the ])hysical sense-centers and thus attains the waking state of con- sciousness in the Physical World. The student should iiarficularly note that it is because of their connection with the splendidly organized median- 76 EOSTCRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION ism of the dense body that these higher veliicles become of value at present. He will thus avoid a mistake frequently made by people who, when they come into the knowledge that there are higher bodies, grow to despise the dense vehicle; to speak of it as "low" and "vile" — turning their eyes to heaven and wishing that they might soon be able to leave this earthly lump of clay and fly about in their "higher vehicles." These people generally do not realize the difference be- tween "higher" and "perfect." Certainly, tlie dense body is the lowest vehicle in the sense that it is the most un- wieldy, correlating man to the world of sense with all the limitations thus implied. As stated, it has an enormous period of evolution back of it; is in its fourth stage o*" development and has now reached a great and marvelous degree of efficiency. It will, in time, reach perfection, but even at present it is the best organized of man's vehi- cles. The vital body is in its third stage of evolution, and less completely organized than tlie dense body. The desire body and the mind are, as yet, mere clouds — almost en- tirely unorganized. In the very lowest human beings these vehicles are not even definite ovoids ; tliey are more or less undefined in form. The dense body is a wonderfully constructed instrument and should be recognized as such In* everyone pretending to have any knowledge of the constitution of man. Observe the femur, for instance. This l)onc carries the entire weight of the Ijody. On the outside it is built of a thin layer of compact bone, strengthened on the inside by beams and cross-beams of cancellated bone, in such a marvelous manner that the most skilled bridge or construction en- gineer could never accomplish the feat of building a pillar of equal strength with so little weight. The bones of the THE FOUR KINGDOMS 77 skull are built in a similar luanner, always the least possible material is used and the maximum of strength obtained. Consider the wisdom manifested in the construction of the heart and then question if this superb mechanism deserves to be despised. The wise man is grateful for his dense body and takes the best possible care of it, because he knows that it is the most valuable of his present instruments. The animal spirit has in its descent reached only the Desire World. It has not yet evolved to the point where it can "enter" a dense body. Therefore the animal has no individual indwelling spirit, but a group-spirit, which directs it from without. The animal has the dense body, the vital body and the desire body, but the group-sjiirit which directs it is outside. The vital body and the do>ire body of an animal are not entirely within the dense body, especially where the head is concerned. For instance, the etheric head of a horse projects far beyond and above the dense physical head. When, as in rare cases it hapjK'iis, the etheric head of a horse draws iuto the head of the dense body, that horse can learn to read, count and work examples in elementary aritlimetic. To this jwculiarity is also due the fact that horses, dogs, cats and other domesti- cated animals sense the Desire World, though not always realizing the dilforence Ix-tween it and the Physical World. A horsf will shy at the sight of a figure invisible to the driver; a cat will go through the nuitions of i-ul)hing itself against invisible legs. The cat sees the ghost, however, without realizing that it has no dense legs available for frictional purposes. The dog, wiser than cat or horse, will often sense that there is something he does not under- stand about the appearance of a dead master whose hands it cannot lick. It will howl mournfully and slink into a corner with its tail between its legs. The following illus- 18 ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION tint ion may perliaps bo of service to sliow the difference between the man wiih liis iiidwcllinir s])irit. and the animal with its i. The dense l)ody in which we function is composed of numerous cells, each having .se|)arate cell-con,sciousness. though of a very low order. While these cells form part cf 82 KUSIOKUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION our body tliey are suhjcctod to and dominated by our consciousness. An animal groujj-spirit functions in a spirit- ■iiiil hoJi/, wliicli is its lowest vehicle. ^^Fliis vehicle consists of a varying number of virgin spirits imbued for the time being with the consciousness of the group-spirit. The latter directs the vehicles built by the virgin spirits in its chaige, caring for them and helping them to evolve their vehii'les. As its wards evolve, the group-spirit also evolves, undergoing a series of metamorphoses, in a manner similar to that in which we grow and gain experience by taking into our bodies the cells of the food we eat. thereby also raising their consciousness by enduing them with ours for a time. 'Flius while a separate, self-conscious Ego is witliin each human body and dominates the actions of its particular vehicle, tlie spirit of tlie separate animal is not yet individ- ualized and self-conscious, but forms part of the vehicle of a self-conscious entity belonging to a different evolution — the group-sjiirit. This group-spirit dominates tlie actions of the animals in ])armony witli cosmic law, \intil the virgin s]iirits in its charge shall have gained self-consciousness and become human. Then tliey will gradually manifest wills of their own, gaining mon' and more freedom from the group-spirit and becoming lesponsiljle for their own actions. The group- spirit will influence them, however (although in a de- creasing degree), as race, tribe, community, or family spirit until each individual has become capable of acting in full harmony with cosmic law. Not until that time will the Ego 1x3 entirely free and independent of the group- spirit, which will then enter a higher phase of evolu- tion. The position occupied by the group-spirit in the Desire THE FOUR KINGDOMS 83 World gives to the animal a consciousness different from tliat of man, who has a clear, definite waking conscious- ness. Man sees things outside of himself in sharp, dis- tinct outlines. Owing to the spiral path of evolution, the higher domestic aninuils, particularly the dog, horse, cat and elephant see oljjects in somewhat the same way, though perhaps not so clearly defined. All other animals have an internal "picture consciousness" similar to the dream- state in man. When such an animal is confronted by an object, a picture is immediately perceived icithin, accom- panied by a strong impression that the object is inimical or beneficial to its welfare. If the feeling is one of fear, it is associated with a suggestion from the group-spirit how to escape the threatened danger. This negative state of consciousness renders it easy for the groujj-spirit to guide the dense bodies of its charges by suggestion, a> the animals have no will of their own. ^lan is not so easily managed from without, either with or without his consent. As evolution progres'^es and man's will develops more and more, he will become non-amenable to outside suggestion and free to do as he plenses regard- less of suggestions from others. This is the cliiel' difference between man and the other kingdoms. They a-vt accord- ing to law and the dictates of the group-spiiit (which we call instinct), while man is becoming more and more a law unto himself. We do not ask the mineral wliother or not it will crystallize, nor the flower whether it v.ill or will not bloom, nor the lion whether it will or will not cease to prey. They are all, in the smallest as in the great- est matter, under the absolute domination of the grouji- spirit, being without free will and initiative which, in some degree, are possessed by every human Ijeing. All animals of the same species look nearly alike, because they 34 EOSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION emanate from the same group-spirit, while among the fif- teen hundred millions of human heings who people the Earth no two look exactly alike, not even twins when ado- lescent, because the stamp tliat is put ujwn each by the indwelling individual Ego makes the difference in appear- ance as well as in cliaracter. That all oxen thrive on grass, and all lions eat flesh, while "one man's moat is another man's poison" is an- other illustration of the all-inclusive influence of the group-spirit as contrasted with the Ego which makes each human being require a different proportion of food from every other. Doctors note with perplexity the same pecu- liarity in administering medicine. Its acts differently upon different individuals, while tlie same medicine will produce identical effects on two animals of the same spe- cies, owing to the fact that animals all follow the dictates of the group-spirit and Cosmic Law — always act similarly in identical circumstances. Man alone is, in some measure, able to follow his own desires within certain limits. That his mistakes ai'e many and grievons, is granted, and to many it might seem better if lie ^^■ere forced into the right way, but if this were done, he would never learn to do right. Lessons of discrimination between good and evil cannot be learned unless he is free to choose his own course and has learned to eschew the wrong as a veritable "womb of pain." If he did right only because he had no choice, and had no chance to do otherwise, he would be Imt an automaton and not an evolving God. As the builder learns by his mistakes, correcting past errors in future buildings, so man, by means of his blunders, and the pain they cause him, is attaining to a higher (because self- conscious) Avisdom than the animal, which acts wisely because it is impelled to action by the group-spirit. In THE FOUR KINGDOMS 85 time the animal will become liuiiian, liave liberty of dioice and will make mistakes and learn by tlietn as we do now. Diagram 4 shows that the group-spirit of the plant kingdom has its lowest vehicle in the Eegion of Conevete Thought. It is two steps removed from its dense vehicle and consequently the plants have a consciousness corre- sponding to that of dreamless sleep. The group-spirit of the mineral has its lowest vehicle in the Eegion of Abstract Thought and it is, therefore, three steps removed from its dense vehicle; hence it is in a state of deep unconsciousness similar to the trance condition. We have now shown that man is an individual indwell- ing spirit, an Ego separate from all other entities, directing and working in one set of vehicles from within, and that plants and animals are directed from witliout by a group- spirit having jurisdiction over a number of animals or plants in our Physical World. They are separate only in appearance. The relations. of plant, animal and man to the life cur- rents in the Earth's atmosphere are symbolically repre- sented by the cross. The ^Mineral Kingdom is not repre- sented, Ijccause as we have seen, it possesses no individual vital body, hence cannot be the vehicle for currents belong- ing to the higher realms. Plato, Avho was an Initiate, often gave out occult truths. He said "The World-Soul is crucified."' The lower limb of the cross indicates the jilant with its root in the chemical mineral soil. The group-spirits of plants arc at the center of the Earth. They are (it will be remembered) in the IJegion of Concrete Thought, which inter-penetrates the Earth, as do all the other Worlds. From these group-spirits flow streams or currents in all 8G H08ICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION directions to the periphery of the Earth, passing outward through the length oi" plant or tree. Man is re])resontcd by the upper limb; he is the inverted plant. The phuit takes its food through the root. Man takes his food thn)ii,<;h the head. The plant stretches its generative organs towards the sun. Man, the inverted jdant, turns his towards the center of the earth. The plant is suslaiiied liv thi- spiritual cun-ents of the groiip-spii'it in the center of the earth, which enter into it by way of the root. Later it will be shown that the highest spiritual influence comes to man ffom the sun, which sends its rays through man, the inverted jjlant, from the head downwards. The plant inhales the poisonous carbon-dioxide exhaled by man and exhales the life-giving oxygen used by him. The animal, which is symbolized by the horizontal limb of the cross, is between the plant and the man. Its spine is in a horizontal ])osition and through it play the cur- rents of the auinuil group-spirit which encircle the Eaitii. Xo animal can be made to remain constantly uj)righl, because in that case the currents of t".;e group-spirit could not guide it, aiul if it were not sufficiently individualized to endure the spiritual currents which enter the vertical luuuan si)ine, it would die. Tt is necessary that a vehicle for the expression of an .individual Ego shall have three things — an upright walk, that it nuiy come into touch with the currents just mentioned ; an upi-ight larynx, for only such a larynx is capalde of speech (parrots and starlings are examples of this efl'ect of the ujjright larynx) ; and, owing to the solar currents, it must have warm blood. The latter is of the utmost im])ortance to the Ego, which will be logically explained and illustrated later. These refjuisites are simply mentioned here as the last words on the status of the four kingdoms in relation to each other and to the Worlds. CHAPTER ITT. Man and the Method of Evolution. Activities of Life; Memonj and >"^ouI-Grouih. OVR study thus far of the seven Worlds or states of matter has shown us that each serves a definite purpose in the eeononiy of nature, and that God, the Great Spirit, in A\'iioni we actually and in fact "live and move and have our l>eing,"" is the Power that per- meates and sustains the whole Universe with Its Life; hut while that Life tlows into and is immanent in every atom of the six lower Worlds and all contained therein, in the Seventh — the ]ii